The Killing Code

by Craig Hurren

  “Bang! Now we’ve got you!” Larry burst out enthusiastically.

  “Let’s see how good the quality of this footage is.” Alan said as he zoomed into the man’s face.

  Fortunately, the US Capitol Police had spared no expense in their security measures at the Capitol Building. The footage was shot in 1080p High Definition video through a Carl Zeiss lens. Even zooming in to four times normal, there was virtually no loss of quality and they had a very clear image of the man’s face. His skin was unnaturally pale with sharp facial features and wire framed glasses that covered small, cold, soulless eyes, seemingly as dark as coal. Despite Alan’s desperate desire to see the man’s face, the mere sight of this characterless visage gave him a cold chill and his mood dropped.

  “Can you print this and also send it to my phone please Larry.”

  Larry too, was a little subdued by the sight but he leaned over the control panel and clicked a couple of buttons. “It’s on its way to your phone now and I’ll have a high quality print for you in one minute.”

  “Thanks Larry. Is there any way you can run it through the FBI’s facial recognition software?”

  “I’ve got a contact in their tech department who might be able to help.”

  “Good; let’s see if anyone knows this guy.”

  Alan walked out of the crime lab significantly less ebullient than he’d entered despite this small success. He wasn’t exactly sure why the man’s face had such a disquieting effect on him but his mood was diminished. Arriving at his desk, he sat and glared at the printed image, burning the face into his mind.

  “Beach! Get in here!” came the familiar shout from Lieutenant Walker.

  Alan went to Walker’s office and sat down. Walker had been looking forward to good news about Alan’s date with Holly but all he saw in his detective’s face was a vacant look of preoccupation.

  “Don’t tell me you screwed it up!” he lamented.

  “No, I got the picture here boss.” Alan handed the printed image to Walker.

  Without even glancing at the picture, Walker admonished, “Not that dopey – I’m talking about your date!”

  Alan’s face lit up a little as the warm memories came spilling back into his mind.

  “Oh that.” he smiled

  “Yeah, that. What’s the story? Did you break the drought?”

  Alan’s humor returned. “That’s a bit personal, isn’t it?” he teased.

  “So call HR and make a complaint - after you tell me.”

  “OK, OK - does Mrs. Walker know about your penchant for gossip?”

  “Beach.” his voice feigned threat.

  Alan told him about Holly and how naturally they seemed to fit and Walker stopped him before he went into any real detail. “Well, I’m just glad to hear you’re back in the game so I don’t have to see your depressing mug moping around here. Mary wants to do the dinner on Sunday night. That OK for you?”

  “I’ll have to see if Holly can get the night off and I’ll let you know.”

  “OK, so let’s have a look at this guy.” Walker said, holding the picture up. He examined the image, emotionlessly for a moment before speaking.

  “Creepy little feller, ain’t he. At least he won’t be hard to recognize. What are you going to do now?”

  “Larry Phillips says he has a friend in the FBI Tech Department so he’s going to see if he can run it through their facial recognition software. Other than that, there’s not much else I can do with it. I do have another line of investigation to follow though. I’m heading out to Ohio State University campus soon to follow up.”

  “I told you you’d come up with something. Let me know how it goes.”

  “Will do; and I’ll call Holly about Sunday.”

  Alan went to his desk and called the number Holly had given him for Professor Guthrie at the university.

  The phone rang a few times before the professor answered, “Guthrie.”

  “Professor Guthrie, this is Detective Beach from the Columbus Police. I’m a friend of Holly Stuart and she suggested I call you.”

  “Ah, Holly – she was a wonderful student. How is she?”

  “She’s very well thanks but I’m not calling about her. I’m hoping for your expert advice on a matter related to a homicide investigation.”

  “That sounds intriguing but Holly would have told you that my specialty is not in criminal psychiatry.”

  “I’m aware of your specialty Professor and that’s why I was hoping I could come and see you to speak in person. Do you have any time today?”

  “Certainly; I’m marking papers all day so you can come whenever you like up until six o’clock.”

  “Perhaps I could buy you lunch. Is there somewhere decent to eat there?”

  “Actually, the faculty cafeteria is quite good. We can meet there at noon if you like.”

  “That sounds fine professor. Oh – how will I know you?”

  “Don’t worry; I’m quite sure I will know you. After more than thirty years as a psychiatrist, I should have no problem picking a police detective out of a crowd of university faculty members.”

  “That makes sense. Thank you professor – I’ll see you soon.”

  Alan hung up and then dialed Holly’s number.

  “Hi Alan. Were you able to see Professor Guthrie?”

  “Hi Holly. I’m meeting him for lunch today but that’s not why I’m calling. My lieutenant’s wife has invited us to dinner at their home on Sunday night. I’m sorry but it’s kind of like a ‘meet the parents’ thing. If you’re not comfortable with it, I understand.”

  “Nonsense! I think it’s very sweet that she is so concerned about you. I’m sure I can get someone to take my shift that night. Everyone loves Sunday overtime pay.”

  “Great! I’ll let them know and I’ll pick you up at six o’clock Sunday.”

  “So I have to wait until then to see you again?” Holly said, feigning indignation.

  Alan was slightly caught off guard. “No...no - not at all. I was just talking about Sunday night.”

  Holly felt the mild panic and awkwardness in Alan’s voice and said, “I’m just teasing Alan. You really should learn to stop being so serious.”

  “You got me there. What time do you finish tonight?”

  “My shift ends at ten thirty. Do you want to have a drink afterwards?”

  “Sounds good to me; I’ll pick you up at the restaurant.”

  “See you then - and give my regards to Professor Guthrie.”

  “I will. See you tonight.”

  Alan made himself a coffee and sat at his desk looking at Blue Sky Biotech’s web site. He knew it wouldn’t reveal anything about the technology on which Professor Gelling and his team were working but he wanted to find out as much as he could about the company. Tom Finch had mentioned that they had been acquired by the giant conglomerate, Devlin Industries, some time ago so he also visited their website. There was a brief corporate profile, which while very professionally written and presented, seemed to explain virtually nothing about the company or its activities and holdings. It read more like a public relations shield than a corporate profile. There was nothing to be found about Alex Devlin himself on the site so Alan began searching his name on his web browser. There seemed to be an endless number of links to various different Alex Devlins around the world so he refined his search to display only Alex Devlin associated with Devlin Industries. There were several newspaper sites with articles and gossip about the powerful billionaire but none of them provided anything of interest to Alan so he continued picking through the links at random, hoping to find something relevant.

  After more than an hour of frustration, he finally found something interesting. It was an obscure web site that seemed to insinuate, without actually pointing any fingers of accusation, that Devlin Industries was developing potentially unhealthy strangleholds on certain markets such as healthcare and food, among others. Ownership and contribution to the site was claimed by no one and its existence piq
ued Alan’s curiosity. He called Larry’s extension on his phone.

  “Larry, do you know how to trace ownership of a web site?”

  “I can try but the sources of some sites are very well hidden because the owners want to maintain anonymity for a variety of reasons.”

  “I bet whoever owns this site has good reason to do just that. Anyway, see what you can do please. I’ll email the link to you now.”

  “I’m on it Al.” Larry said enthusiastically and hung up.

  Alan felt a slight pang of hunger and looked at his watch. It was perfect timing so he pulled on his jacket and went to his car to drive to the university campus for his meeting. At the entrance to the enormous campus he was confronted with a large, confusing array of options and had no idea where to go so he asked a security guard for directions.

  “I’ve got a lunch meeting with Professor Guthrie. Can you help me with directions please?”

  “Which Professor Guthrie are you meeting sir?”

  “I didn’t realize he wasn’t the only one.”

  “It’s a big campus sir; in fact it’s the third largest university in the country. Anyway, you said, ‘he’ so that would have to be Professor Scott Guthrie. He works mainly in the Biomedical Research Tower.”

  “OK but I’m supposed to meet him at the faculty members’ cafeteria.”

  The guard directed him to a visitors’ car park near the cafeteria and to follow the signs on the walkway from there. On the walkway, Alan easily found the first sign and enjoyed the pleasant walk through campus grounds to the cafeteria. He entered the modern, inviting atmosphere of the building and the enticing smell of food filled his nostrils. As his hunger grew with the aromas, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “Detective Beach, I presume.”

  Alan turned to see Professor Guthrie dressed in a tweed jacket with suede elbow patches and had to stop himself from commenting on his rather cliché appearance.

  “Professor Guthrie?”

  “That’s right but call me Scott.”

  “And my name is Alan. Nice to meet you Scott - and thank you again for your time.”

  “My father told me never to turn down a free lunch; shall we order?” said Guthrie, gesturing toward the food service area.

  Alan found the professor immediately good natured and likable. They went to the counter and Guthrie recommended a few of his favorite dishes to Alan.

  “Any one of those sounds great to me. Why don’t you order for both of us?”

  “Two Butter Chickens with rice please.” Guthrie said to the attendant.

  The men waited for their food and chatted briefly about the campus until their meals arrived. After paying, Alan followed Guthrie with his tray to a table in the corner, away from other people. Beach thought how well liked Guthrie must have been as most people they passed offered him a warm smile or a friendly greeting.

  As they sat, Alan commented, “You’re making me wish I’d gone to university myself.”

  “Well, it’s not for everyone but it certainly is a way of life for some and a means to a better one for others. By the way, how long have you been friends with Holly?”

  “I guess I should have said we’re more than just friends but we’ve known each other less than a week.”

  “Ah, young love; I remember it well. You are very fortunate man Alan. Holly is not only intelligent but she has a wonderful sense of humor and disposition. You would be wise to hold onto her.”

  “That is certainly my impression but I’m very new at this whole dating thing.”

  “I see. I’m sorry to pry but you don’t seem young enough to be inexperienced in such matters.”

  “I know it seems strange and to be honest, before I met Holly, I wouldn’t even have answered this question but now, everything seems different. I was married at a fairly young age to the only woman I had ever loved and she died several years ago. I never really got over it and I gave no thought to ever finding someone else. Holly is the first woman to crack through my shell since then.”

  “She is indeed a special woman.”

  “I certainly would not argue with you there. Now I’m sorry but do you mind if we turn to the matter at hand.”

  “Of course; how can I help?”

  “This may sound like an odd question but Holly assures me that if anyone can help me, it’s you.” Alan retrieved his notebook and asked, “Can you think of anything that would require the combination of a particularly complex dendrimer, neuro-hormones, cutting edge computer programming and a specially designed delivery system?”

  Guthrie looked intently at Alan without speaking.

  “I’m sorry professor; did I not pronounce dendrimer correctly?”

  Guthrie’s head tilted slightly as he continued to study Alan’s face and he took on a more serious demeanor. “Detective, do you mind showing me your credentials please?”

  Alan was somewhat taken aback by the request but pulled his detective shield out and handed it to Guthrie. The professor examined it carefully and returned it.

  “I’m sorry Scott; have I said something to upset you?”

  “Not at all but this could be a highly sensitive matter.” Guthrie’s voice lowered significantly as he leaned forward to speak. “There is only one person who might be working to develop the kind of technology that would require the ingredients you have just listed. His name is Professor Linus Gelling.”

  “That’s right; I met him in person but how do you know that.”

  “Linus Gelling is an incredibly gifted man. Not only is he well beyond most peoples’ understanding of genius but he has been at the cutting edge of psychiatric pharmacology research for several decades. He is the undisputed leader in this field and a former mentor of mine.”

  Alan felt excitement build as he listened intently, hoping for a break in his case.

  “It seems Holly was right to send me to you Scott. Please continue.”

  “Many years ago, long before chemical engineers discovered how to build dendrimers, Linus postulated a theory that if the right structure and delivery system could be developed, as yet undiscovered neuro-hormones could be used to influence brain function and human behavior.”

  “I’m sorry but I’m not sure I understand.”

  “Let me give you a quick, down and dirty lesson in basic brain function. If you imagine the organ is simply a mass of electrical conduits leading from one neuron, or nerve cell, to another and each signal or message that travels between neurons is influenced by a specific hormone, or chemical, then you can see that it is theoretically possible to influence these individual messages or responses.”

  “Sounds like science fiction to me Scott.”

  “I understand your misgivings but believe me; this is already science fact and has been for many years, albeit in a very rudimentary and inexact manner. I assume you haven’t been hiding under a rock for the last couple of decades and would therefore be aware of the modern popularization of the term ‘clinical depression’?”

  “I could hardly miss it with all the commercials for various anti-depression drugs on television.”

  “Quite right. Well, many of the drugs you’ve seen advertised, and which are generally the treatments of choice for depression, are called SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.”

  “That’s a mouthful!”

  “To the layperson, yes but to a scientist, it makes perfect sense. Serotonin is a neuro-hormone which is partially responsible for regulating happiness and euphoria. If it becomes depleted or if the receptors which are designed to accept and react to Serotonin become damaged or over used, this can cause clinical depression. There are other neuro-hormones involved in this process but so far, Serotonin seems to be the predominant player in mood management. Hence, SSRIs are used to block the reuptake of Serotonin to make more of the compound available within the nerve synapse, or junction.”

  “I thought depression just meant that you’re sad.”

  “Well, in lay terms it does but the fa
ct is that long term sadness is now known as clinical depression and it is directly caused by neuro-hormonal imbalance or the inability of specific receptors in the brain to function correctly. When you consider that every message or signal that occurs in the brain is dictated or influenced by neuro-hormones, it becomes obvious that this phenomenon is also likely responsible for virtually all psychiatric illnesses.”

  “You said the science is rudimentary and inexact – it sounds pretty specific to me.”

  “Indeed the treatment is designed to affect specific receptors but when you see the television commercials, they mention a great number of potential adverse events. These unwanted effects are caused by the fact that SSRIs use a scattergun approach. In other words, they affect all of their target receptors when only certain ones require treatment. The result is that areas not requiring treatment are treated anyway and that can lead to unwanted effects.”

  “OK, I think I get it. So what you’re saying is that Professor Gelling may have developed a much more specific approach to neuro-hormonal manipulation – is that it?”

  “You are a quick study Alan - that is exactly what I mean. And be assured that if he and his team have made a significant breakthrough in that field, the potential profits could be enormous! I mean many billions of dollars.”

  Alan’s mind raced to find a motive for Helen’s death amongst the science and the potential profits the professor had just explained. Tom Finch had told him that each scientist in the Blue Sky research team was dependant on the others for their potential bonuses so he couldn’t see how money would be a motive. Frustrated that nothing obvious was jumping out, he pulled himself back to the conversation to focus on one confounding point.